Blog : Music

“Good morning to you, good morning to you…” It’s Tuesday morning at Parkside Early Learning Centre and a group of bright-faced children sit mesmerised as Miss Carolin sings the welcome song in their music class. We all know that music can soothe a child. But music also enhances intelligence, coordination, emotional expression, creativity, and socialisation skills.

There’s no guarantee your child will be composing symphonies by age 6 but music is almost a developmental necessity in early childhood.

Music Enhances Intelligence

At birth, a child’s brain is in an unfinished state. Music can play a critical role in the process of “wiring” a young child’s brain. With older children, music can create a good study environment and help a child learn information more efficiently. But it’s not simply a matter of playing music in the background to make children smarter. In fact active participation of children and their caregivers, especially when children are young, is very important. In other words, warm up those vocal chords and start crooning! Music combined with movement further improves brain development as it creates new brain connections and crosses the midline of the body which is known to create bilateral integration skills.

With young children, singing, chanting and rhythmic play can increase your child’s vocabulary. Parkside encourages parents to make up songs about everyday activities like nappy changes and baths, turning a boring chore into a fun “sound break.” As a child gets older, encourage her to invent her own songs.

If you can’t carry a tune in a basket, don’t despair. If you don’t think you’re a good singer, sing louder!

Music Helps Motor Development and Coordination

In young children, music helps pattern the movement of the body. The ear’s primary function is coordination and balance within the body. And when we pace things with a musical beat, we are more coordinated.

Unfortunately, with more children spending time in front of television or computer screens, motor skills may not keep up with cognitive development. In fact, many children today are unable to keep a steady beat. These kids may be less likely to be successful on sports teams.

We recommend bouncing, swaying, clapping, and dancing with your child from a very early age. Make a habit of creating musical moments, moving joyfully to your own drumming and chants, and playing active games with your child whenever you catch him on his feet. Let him experiment with objects that make sound – rattles, drums, spoons that can be banged against pans. (Earplugs optional.)

Music Increases Emotional Awareness

Everyone has experienced the emotional surge triggered by a meaningful song. Music can give children a place for their emotions. When there is fear, music can be soothing. When there is tension or stress, music can calm a child. And as a child learns to play an instrument, music becomes a powerful vehicle for self-expression.

Music Strengthens Social Skills

The key skill in interacting well with others is listening. By making your child aware of the relation between sound and emotion in music, he can begin to also discern others’ emotional state from their speech.

All children can benefit from group musical experiences to increase confidence and self-esteem as well as enjoy a sense of community.

Music Aids in Relaxation and Stress Reduction

In stressful situations, such as a hospital stay or school-related anxiety, music has been shown to decrease heart rate, breathing, and lower stress hormones. Stress obstructs learning. By playing 10 minutes of classical music, parents and teachers can help children clear their minds for productive learning and studying.

Music Enhances Creativity

Music lends itself to many creative activities. Stimulate creative thought in young children by singing a familiar song and leaving out the last word of each line. Your child will delight in inventing a new ending. Twinkle, twinkle little… tomato?

With older children, select a favourite piece and discuss what pictures, colours, or stories the music brings to mind for each of you. Then play the selection again, encouraging your child to act out these images with his body.

Nurturing Your Budding Musician

We recommend that all children should be actively involved with music. Learning an instrument or singing in a group has been linked in many studies with improved spatial coordination, creativity, math skills, and even ability to learn a foreign language.

Musical involvement may not be playing the piano or violin for every child. It may be experimentation with movement. It may be simple percussion instruments. It may be learning to sing. Up to age 5, Parkside recommends group music classes such as mainly music, which take place all over the country or our very own sessions on a Tuesday. The intent of this is not to make children symphony performers. It is to train the ear, eye and hand to coordinate.

At Parkside we hope the future generations can enjoy not only the educational benefits but also the exhilaration that comes from listening to and creating music.

Music is a wonderful mind weaver, and we have many opportunities in the early years to help orchestrate and harmonize the brains of our children with quality experiences.

Parkside Facebook Reviews

An approachable and caring centre who have always taken on board suggestions, opinions and welcomed our family into the centre. A wonderful recent outdoor area transformation.
Owners that took the time to get to know us. Staff who arrange some fantastic adventures and activities for my child when I am unable to and I thank them for that.
Every childcare centre has flaws but it takes a good team to keep it going and this place continues to do that.read more

As only a new family to Parkside all ai have to say is wow! Family owned and operated is a huge thing and the owner Mr Andrew is amazing, barely talks to me but he completely focus's on my children, even getting down to their level to talk to them. The other team members are all fantastic, my toddler and 8yo love it there. Cannot fault them :) Highly recommended!read more

The owners Andrew and Carolyn are awesome. They are hard working honest folk who have created an environment where the staff are thriving . As a result the children and families are really well looked after. Could not rate them highly enough!read more

After returning to work fulltime i starting looking at all the daycare centres in gympie. I found it quite daunting to be putting the trust of looking after my son in someone elses hands.
After finding parkside early learning centre with their amazing staff, very accommodating and friendly nature was a wonderful relief.
Now 7 months later my son is growing mentally in leaps and bounds, and it is now a struggle to get him to leave in the afternoons.
Thankyou to all the parkside staff for their amazing contributions to make my son feel safe, and expand his learning capabilities.read more

Last year we were looking around for a new kindy for our son, we visited Parkside and 9 months on my little boy still talks about how great the place is, sadly we didn't put our little guy in at Parkside only because school was starting within a few months, we do however look forward to sending our littlest one to Parkside, when the time comes for him to start. We love seeing the owners of Parkside at community events and it really shows how committed they are to the children of Gympie region, as a mother of 3 and someone who has worked with children for 9 years, I know a quality centre when I see one, it also just has that vibe a parent needs to reassure them when they walk in and look around, all the staff and the owners should be incredibly proud of there hard work, we look forward to being apart of the Parkside community in the future.read more

Parkside is definitely one of Gympie's best child care centres. Andrew has carefully picked his staff and it shows. They are all wonderful. My kids love coming to day care. My daughter's speech has improved since interacting and communicating with other children. They learn new things everyday and love all the different activities. Yogo is one of their favourites! I can't thank the staff enough for being so kind and Caring to my girls.read more

I just wont to say thank you so much for having my girls best center i have been to sad that we have to move but will keep in touch thank u to all the lovely staff thea leia and i will miss u allread more

I love teaching Yoga here at Parkside. The staff are so supportive, caring and interactive. The children are sunny shiny faces that light up your day. Parkside, thank you for asking me to share Yoga with your little ones... <3 What a treat... Paula from free2b Yoga & PTread more

Hope u have a great last day today Logan. Its so unfortunate that u have to leave Parkside. But we have to move. We have been a part of the Parkside family for almost a year now with 2 of my boys going there. I would like to say a big thank u so much to all the stuff at Parkside for everything u have done for my 2 boys. When Jay stated there after the September holidays last year he couldn't talk to well. But after being with u for only a few weeks his speech picked up so much. I didn't think he would be able to start prep because of it. But u guys got him there. And Logan over the year he has picked up so much going to Parkside. He looks forward to seeing the bus pull up for him every week. Its going to be sad to say good by but its something we must do. Thank u again from our family. ���read more

A wonderful centre with lovely educators who are fantastic with the kids. We investigated all the centres in town and this was the only one where my baby daughter relaxed, smiled and interacted with the staff. On picking her up after her first day, I came in to hear her laughing, not to mention the lovely little photo collage. Can't rate this place highly enough!read more

The smiles on the kids faces say it all!
Andrew, Carolin and all of the teaching staff put their heart and soul into this place on a daily basis and it definitely shows. Whilst having healthy meals prepared for the kids definitely takes a weight off my mind.read more

We love this centre. They have kind caring teachers and we love that they teach foreign languages. We also love the way that Mr Andrew and Miss Carolin are excited to be teaching young children, with their own children in mind.read more

When my son 1st started at parkside we both cried, it was our 1st day away from one another!! The Teachers were amazing!! They managed to settle my than two year old down like magic and to my surprise he wanted to keep coming back!! My son has leant so much since signing up at parkside!! His ABC being a proud moment � but... most importantly he has endless fun with friends and staff in a friendly, safe environment.
I absolutely love all the painting, crafts and photos he brings home just for mum and dad, they melt our hearts. The new free healthy breakfast/lunches are great too even for my little fussy eater. Definitely give parkside a go you won't regret it!!read more

I work at Parkside as the Early Childhood Teacher and never been happier..I am passionate about teaching young children but I know Carolin and Andrew the owners are more passionate along with all the staff who share their days with the children in their care.read more